Whose holiday song is better?

Madonna and Green Day are very different artists, but both have released hit singles called “Holiday.” One of those songs is timeless. The other is a lot of fun, but seems more dated with each passing year. Here’s why it’s worth celebrating one “holiday” more than the other.

Madonna’s “Holiday” and Green Day are both good, but only one is current

Some songs are great because they’re complex or innovative, and others are great because they perfectly capture a simple mood. Madonna’s “Holiday” does just that. Everyone needs a vacation, and Madonna blithely captures the joy you feel when you leave your worries behind for a little while. The bass line is one of the best in Madonna’s entire career. “Holiday” wasn’t a huge hit like “Vogue” or “Like a Virgin,” but it’s universal.

Green Day’s “Holiday” is an edgy punk rock song that was a reaction to the presidency of George W. Bush. It channels the anger many felt during that time into a stick of rock and roll dynamite. It has one of the best riffs in the band’s catalog and Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice drips with the cynicism of the time. It’s a classic that will always be remembered as one of the defining songs of 2000s rock.

Why Madonna’s song works better than Green Day’s

So which track is better? On one level, it’s comparing apples and oranges. Comparing a dance track to punk rock is odd to say the least. But one song is the clear winner.

Madonna’s “Holiday” is the kind of song that resonates no matter who is in the White House. Over time, Green Day’s politics have American Idiot seem increasingly outdated. Madonna’s “Holiday,” however, is as fresh as it was in 1983. No matter what your political views are or what language you speak, the bass line of “Holiday” can make you dance.

How the Queen of Pop explained her “vacation”

In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna linked “Holiday” to her long childhood and how it led her to become a dancer. “Motown was everywhere,” the Material Girl said. “Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross and The Jackson 5, that’s what I grew up with. But when I was in high school, we moved to a predominantly middle-class, white suburb. There were no more house parties, no more music blaring from the house next door.”

“I felt alienated and created my own world,” she added. “That’s when I decided to become a professional dancer. I became more of an introvert and would sneak out of the house and go to concerts. I was aware of the power of music at that time, even if I couldn’t express it to anyone.”

The “Like a Prayer” singer said her music is influenced by the fact that she is a dancer. “It always starts with the bass line and the beat,” she explained. “You build it from the ground up. Like ‘Holiday,’ ‘Hung Up,’ ‘Music.’ I think it has to do with being a dancer, because as a dancer, it’s all about the bass line. You have to feel it at the center of your center of gravity.”

Madonna and Green Day are both excellent, but have only released one album that a Holiday fan will remember for decades.